Sharing medical appointments with others.

Reactive medicine is a false economy all around.

These groups improve outcomes, reduce relapses and flair ups, and help people to not get to the point where they NEED more treatment.

Preventative medicine is win-win.

The health system is there as a necessary service. To treat sick people.
I need treatment , medication, scans, my consultant.
I've nothing in common with others who have multiple sclerosis, physically or socially.

Are people who work full time or have busy lives going to have an opportunity to attend an evening meeting? Of course not. They'll be given the privilege of the normal quicker one to one appointments.
Just herd the unemployed and the retired into a time saving daytime second rate service. After all what else have they got to do with their day.

It would depend on what medical problem I had. I would not wish to discuss anything highly personal but can see it might help for some general conditions.

I’ve already been to one here in NI for managing back pain. It was fine. Probably wouldn’t have got much more from going to the doctor to be honest and they seem to be geared towards helping yourself which makes perfect sense rather than take drugs for everything.

The only new thing about this is that GPs have caught onto it! Information and therapy groups have been running for decades in the NHS. As a speech and language therapist, I was involved in running groups for people with dysphasia after stroke/brain trauma, parents of autistic children, parents of children with delayed/disordered language, to name but a few. My physio and occupational therapy colleagues did the same (different emphasis, obviously). Sometimes we ran multi-disciplinary groups. Sometimes they were diagnostic, and we videoed the interaction to discuss with patients/parents/carers later. Attendees never had to discuss personal details, but they derived great support from each other. Nobody was compelled to come. What is the problem?

Apologies for the long post.
I attended a fatigue management group for people with rheumatoid arthritis. It comprised six two hour sessions and was managed by health professionals.
Initially I was a bit wary, but I was in so much pain that I decided to give it a go.

There were no confidentiality problems, no-one in the group knew each other, as the members of the group attended different hospitals.
It was so good to share how I was feeling. Rather than worry my husband and family , I kept how awful I was suffering to myself.

We were given strategies to help manage pain and fatigue, disturbed sleep due to high pain levels, and explanations of why we were experiencing various symptoms. Also we received information on how to work with our employers to manage our conditions.

It was so enlightening One of the worst symptoms of RA is brain fog. I thought I was going mad, as sometimes I just couldn't focus and was constantly forgetting things. It turned out, the other eleven participants had experienced the same thing. I had no idea that brain fog was part of having RA.

We were all able to support each other. There was a young teacher who was struggling, but didn't want to tell her HT how unwell she was, so would put "viral infection" on her sick line, every time she was off.
At that time I was in the process of being medically retired from teaching and I was able to show her how covering up in my own situation had been detrimental to my own health and mental wellbeing.
She found the courage to "come clean", which resulted in a meeting with occupational health, who organised lots of support for her.

It certainly isn't a substitute for a one to one sessions with a Dr, but its a sensible way to disseminate information and offer support to people suffering the same condition, who may be finding it difficult to access a medical professional on a regular basis.

I had been in a very dark place and I definitely benefitted from the sessions, knowing I could contact someone, when an appointment with my consultant was difficult to obtain.

It sinks in much better to have the info delivered in longer planned group sessions than having a tonne of leaflets chucked at you in a 15min gp session. With group sessions you have more time to digest it all, usually weekly over 4-8 weeks, so less information overload

And like antenatal classes, group condition management classes do not replace ALL 1:1 appointments
They are not for diagnostics, referrals or prescriptions etc.

They have better outcomes than the same information being delivered by other means.

The alternative of going to your GP for what is (already in many areas) replaced by group sessions means less consistency and less contact time with the multidisciplinary team.

I must say that my memory of ante-natal classes is that they were entirely useless. An opinion shared by everyone else in the group when we met each other now and again after our children were born. May be we were just unlucky.

But with antenatal classes, they were not instead of visits to the GP but as well as.

& as with antenatal classes, there is a lot of useful general information you need if you are diagnosed with a chronic illness: which local sites provide which services. What to expect re monitoring. Who to contact if things go wrong etc.

The best comparison I can think of is they are like antenatal classes....but for people facing chronic conditions rather than birth

I'll bet you already know someone who has been through a rehab group course for a long term condition. Ask around before buying into the slow week headlines!

I must be clear that the item, several of them actually, that I read made it clear that these groups would be instead of a GP appointment.

They are, but think about it:

Post diagnosis would you really rather have a 1:1 "lifestyle lecture" from your GP? (= the alternative) or go and hear a well planned group talk that brings together all the resources for the condition?

As above, these group sessions are LONG established in a lot of areas. And have good outcomes. And have not been cut back

Its more a series of class room "taught" sessions and activities.
You don't go around the group talking about your individual health history unless you want to at coffee time!

The rest of the group know you have diabetes/COPD/whatever the group is for and that's it. Some people share successes or challenges they have had with some treatments if they want to.

It is for people who have already been diagnosed in 1:1 consultations.

Really have no idea why the papers are suddenly latching on to it....

I must be clear that the item, several of them actually, that I read made it clear that these groups would be instead of a GP appointment.

I also commented that I think that I think that, while they talked of group appointments of up to 2 hours, I think that they would soon start cutting the time allowed for these groups until, within 5 years , it would be down to 30 minutes or less. Just time to take the blood samples, collect the pee pots and take blood pressure, before the group are ushered out because their time is up.

As several people have pointed out group management is quite a skill, you need to be able to encourage quieter members, keep the talkative ones under control and make sure everyone gets 'air time'.

It's not group psychotherapy.
It is condition management.
Usually they run in blocks with different experts/topics, maybe some group physio in the gym etc, sign posting to other services, awareness of products/treatments etc.

This isn't new at all and already happens for a range of conditions up and down the country and actually has very good outcomes. It isnt about individual ailments/complaints, it is about managing conditions. You don't have to share much with the group but it gives you more contact with experts and services than you would otherwise have.

You may have even been to one and not realised its the same thing: "heart clubs", & pulmonary rehab gyms etc

Not sure why it is currently making headlines.

A few years ago when I was very unwell with anxiety and depression I was offered group sessions by my local Healthcare Trust. I couldn't think of anything I would have liked less! Already racked with anxiety and low self esteem, the thought of having to talk about it in a room full of strangers horrified me. I declined and payed privately for CBT which helped me enormously as I could open up in a safe place. Alternately,I suffer from a very rare skin condition called Lichen Sclerosis (which has led to me having cancer of the vulva 4 times) and would welcome the opportunity to meet with other women who also have it. Although, I suppose I am thinking more of a support group than medical advice as its vitually untreatable!

I think doctors would need to be specially trained if they were leading such a group. As several people have pointed out group management is quite a skill, you need to be able to encourage quieter members, keep the talkative ones under control and make sure everyone gets 'air time'. I guess one doctor per practice, or group of practices, could train to do it, but probably not practical for every GP. I still have a few reservations though. We live in a lovely village where nearly everyone of course attends the village GP practice, but the un-official grapevine is the most efficient thing about the entire community. I really am not sure people could keep quiet about what might happen in a group appointment, however well intentioned they might be when they signed their confidentiality agreement.

no,I wouldn't be happy with this.There would probably be people who have a lot to say for themselves and would dominate it,with quieter people struggling to get a word in.A support group for a specific condition is different and can be a good idea.

For some issues I think they could be very helpful. When first diagnosed with something like diabetes or asthma, it can be very confusing. A discussion with others about how they manage, what they find helpful, best shops to buy things at, how to look after your feet or your eyes - could all be an added bonus.

Nobody is going to ask you to strip off and show your bits. People attend weight watchers, go to bereavement counselling groups etc. Us ladies tend to gossip about our ailments around the kitchen table or during work lunch-breaks, it really isn't that much different.

Support groups are one thing but public consultations, not on your life!!! I want to discuss my ailments one-to-one, not for all and sundry!

I would open up but then regret it because I do share too much already.

This could work for common conditions like arthritic knees or COPD - people don't generally hide these issues in the first place. However, my husband has depression and anxiety in addition to several physical conditions and this would stop him participating in any group like this as it triggers his anxiety. I personally would not trust a group of random strangers to keep confidentiality - however if it was a group about, for example, arthritic knees then it wouldn't bother me anyway. I can't see this being suitable for anything intimate or for mental health issues.

Great idea for certain problems that you can talk about freely. I think it would help doctors & you could get very good tips from other patients.
I'd go if they had one for a problem had- hay-fever, asthma etc.